Mike Scott/For The Star-LedgerYup, Bracket Boy, channeling Jeff Spicoli, was a surfer in his teenage days.

Little-known fact about Bracket Boy: When he was just a … um … when he was younger, our resident college basketball expert nearly gave up his promising career as a bracketologist.

He was dedicated to another life entirely: surfing.

“All I need are some tasty waves, a cool bracket and I’m fine,” a teenaged BB used to say.

Yes, before he sequestered himself in the secret lab and spent his weeks leading up to March Madness coming up with new ways to apply dated pop culture references to college hoops, BB was a surfer.

He brings this up now because of the No. 2 seed in the West Region — San Diego State. And because the film “Fast Times At Ridgemont High” is based on a book by Cameron Crowe, which was inspired by his one year at a San Diego high school.

Phoebe Cates. Jeff Spicoli. Mr. Hand. Did BB mention Phoebe Cates? Right, he did. Our resident expert sees the name San Diego State in the brackets and one thing springs to mind:

“Hey Bud, let’s party!”

In truth, there is something refreshing about seeing the Aztecs as one of the top eight teams in the tournament field. The other seven teams are the usual suspects — in fact, they have combined to win the last six national championships.

Duke. Florida. Kansas. North Carolina. The top seeds are usually reserved for the blue bloods, and even when an outsider has a good year, it’s difficult for that team to crack those top spots.

San Diego State has, and deservedly so. The Aztecs, who have never won an NCAA Tournament game in six tries, are 32-2 this season, with Kawhi Leonard averaging a double-double (15.4 points and 10.7 rebounds) for a deep, balanced and experienced team.

This is not some mid-major with an inflated record. The Aztecs have five wins against teams in the RPI top 50 and 13 against the top 100, which is why they sit in the No. 2 seed in the West Region.

Can you pick them in the Final Four? BB stopped short of that, but in an otherwise suspect region, it wouldn’t surprise him to see them celebrating the unlikely Final Four trip.

And, if that happens, it would be — to quote Jeff Spicoli — “Awesome! Totally awesome!”

“North Carolina is very talented,” Dan writes, “but will they continue to win deep in their bracket with the likes of possibly playing Washington (round 2); Syracuse or Xavier (round 3); Kentucky or Ohio State (round 4)?”

BB responds: “I think you can stop right there at Round 2, Dan. The Tar Heels have struggled defensively all season, and Washington is an explosive team capable of taking them out before the Sweet 16.”

Dan also asks: “With all the talk about Pittsburgh having the easiest road to the Finals (even though history has been against them), can the Panthers possibly lose to the Wildcats or the Gators before the Final Four?”

And finally, Mike Sasor has a question that would make Barbara Walters proud: “What is it like to be Bracket Boy?” he asks.

BB responds: “It’s a lot of pressure, Mike. Some days, I wake up and think about all those loyal readers, a mouth to feed in the crib, the struggling newspaper industry … nah, who am I kidding, I’ve been stealing money for years!”

Bracket Boy has watched “Fast Times At Ridgemont High” nearly as many times as “Hoosiers.” To discuss ’80s coming-of-age movies or, you know, basketball, drop him a line at boy@bracketboy.net. Also: Twitter.com/BracketBoy.